The 30th annual Oklahoma City University Film Institute’s film series will continue at 2 p.m. Oct. 23with George Sluizer’s “The Vanishing” in the Kerr McGee Auditorium of the Meinders School of Business. The school is located at N.W. 27th Street and McKinley Avenue.

A psychological thriller, “The Vanishing” tells the story of a young man's obsessive search for his girlfriend after she disappears at a rest stop during a short trip. The film, frightening and moving with a chilling conclusion, is a small masterpiece as director Sluizer confronts and examines the true nature of evil and obsession in all its methodical, exacting banality.

“The Vanishing” was one of the two most requested films on the evaluation forms from last year’s series. Its chilling finale has unnerved audiences around the world. It was scheduled in the film series with the intent of getting the audience prepared for All Hallows’ Eve.

The theme of this year’s series is “Compassion: The Radical Challenge.” It is based on Karin Armstrong’s book, “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.” The book will be available at the film showings.

Harbour Winn, director of OCU’s Film Institute and a coordinator of the series, said the theme is intended “to bring to our attention the most recent book of the most acclaimed scholar of comparative religion in the West. Armstrong exhorts us to understand that even though faith has been exploited to justify horrific atrocities in the world, the fundamental idea in religion challenges us to understand that compassion is inseparable from humanity.”

Admission to all films in the series is free. The series is supported by the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund and donations from the public.

For more information contact Winn at hwinn@okcu.edu or (405) 208-5472.